Infusion bag, particularly for tea

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to an infusion bag for an infusible substance such as tea or the like comprising a porous-walled container having a head portion reinforced by a flexible strip having two side pieces which extend on opposite sides of the bag. At least one of these side portions extends over the entire length of the bag and includes at least one longitudinally extending scribe line adjacent the respective lateral edge of the side piece, and another scribe line extending perpendicular to and intersecting the at least one longitudinally extending scribe line. Consequently, tearing of the scribe lines will permit a portion of the side portion to be spatially separated from the remainder thereof while remaining connected thereto as a hanger by means of at least one narrow web defined between the at least one longitudinally extending scribe line and its respective lateral edge, and wherein the hanger includes at least one cut defining an aperture which facilitates connection of the hanger to a pour spout of a pot.

[ 1 Aug. 12, 1975 INFUSION BAG, PARTICULARLY FOR TEA [76] Inventor: Adolf Rambold, D-4005 Meerbusch 1, Bachstrasse 8, Germany [22] Filed: July 26, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 382,885

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 26, 1972 Germany 2236616 [52] US. Cl 426/82; 206/5 [51] Int. Cl. A47G 19/16; 8658 29/04 [58] Field of Search 426/77-84, 426/110, 115, 394; 206/.5; 99/323 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,362,054 12/1920 Stockman, Jr. 426/83 2,192,605 3/1940 Salfisberg 426/82 2,291,278 7/1942 Cleaves 426/82 2,413,686 l/l947 Barnett 426/82 2,698,082 12/1954 Maloney 426/77 X 2,879,613 3/1959 De Mario... 426/82 X 3,175,911 3/1965 Rambold.... 426/83 3,215,533 11/1965 Rambold.... 426/82 3,379,331 4/1968 Kamcet 206/.5 3,387,978 6/1968 Major 426/77 OTHER PUBLlCATlONS Primary Examinew-Tim R. Miles' Assistant Examiner-Steven L. Weinstein Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wigman & Cohen [57] ABSTRACT This disclosure relates to an infusion bag for an infusible substance such as tea or the like comprising a porous-walled container having a head portion reinforced by a flexible strip having two side pieces which extend on opposite sides of the bag. At least one of these side portions extends over the entire length of the bag and includes at least one longitudinally extending scribe line adjacent the respective lateral edge of the side piece, and another scribe line extending perpendicular to and intersecting the at least one longitudinally extending scribe line. Consequently, tearing of the scribe lines will permit a portion of the side portion to be spatially separated from the remainder thereof while remaining connected thereto as a hanger by means of at least one narrow web defined between the at least one longitudinally extending scribe line and its respective lateral edge, and wherein the hanger includes at least one cut defining an aperture which facilitates connection of the hanger to a pour spout of a pot.

16 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAUB1 2:915

1 INFUSION BAG, PARTICULARLY FOR TEA The invention relates to an infusion bag with at least one chamber, containing in particular tea, the head of which is reinforced by a flexible strip which forms two side pieces which are folded together, and are attached to and hold between them the head of the bag, for pots having a pourer spout.

In the case of many known infusion bags for tea with one chamber or a double chamber, there is attached to the bag head, i.e., at the place where the bag is closed by folding, knurling or the like, mostly by means of a fixing clip, one end of a thread on the other end of which there is a label-like hanger which in the case of the known double-chamber infusion bag, is provided with a U-shaped cut which makes it possible to push the hanger over the pourer spout of a tea pot, so preventing the thread with the hanger being pulled into the pot by the bag, made heavy by the absorption of water. Such infusion bags are regularly sold in paper bags provided with a flap, the bag hanger being constructed as a part of the paper bag which is detachable from the latter.

Also, a single chamber infusion bag for tea, of the type already mentioned at the outset, having a thread and a hanger has become known, such a bag having, though not extending over the entire width of the bag, an over-hanger in the form of a folded-together strip with two equally long side pieces which fit over the head of the bag. One of the two side pieces is, in the vicinity of the fold line of the strip, provided with a hole through which the thread is passed. Prior to infusion, the actual bag is separated from the over-hanger which is held on the thread by the hanger. After infusion, the bag is withdrawn from the prepared tea by the hanger, for which one hand is required, and the other hand only has to try to push the over-hanger over the distended bag. This is regularly a tiresome and troublesome task. Like the double chamber infusion bag previously mentioned, the known infusion bag moreover has the disadvantage that, by reason of the attachment of the thread and hanger, it is expensive to manufacture and requires a packaging machine which is complicated and therefore expensive and the productivity of which is relatively low by reason of the many working steps involved.

The invention is, therefore, based on the problem of providing an infusion bag, the manufacture of which proceeds more rapidly due-to the elimination of some of the working stages and which requires less mechanical complication and which, by virtue of the saving on material, is cheaper than hitherto, so that the costs involved are altogether reduced. In the case of an infusion bag of the type mentioned at the outset this problem is, according to the invention, resolved in that at least one of the side pieces covers the bag over its entire length and is provided with at least two prestamped tear lines disposed parallel with or at right-angle to each other, of which at least one extends parallel with one longitudinal edge of the side piece to a point close to the transverse edge thereof, so that a hanger is formed which is connected to the bag head through at least one narrow web, can be removed from the bag head by being torn therefrom and can be connected to the pourer spout of a pot. For example, as in the case of the known infusion bag, the hanger may be provided with a U-shaped cup. The narrow web or webs for connecting the bag head to the hanger prevents the actual bag becoming submerged in the pot so that it cannot be withdrawn at the right time.

Advantageously, the cost of manufacturing the infusion bag according to the invention is greatly reduced because thread and separate hanger can be dispensed with, because the strip having two side members serves not only as a label, but one of its side members serves as a hanger for attachment on a pot. By virtue of its simplicity, the infusion bag according to the invention can be relatively quickly produced on a considerably simplified packaging machine, the output of which is therefore far greater than the output of known packaging machines for the known infusion bags. It is true that an infusion bag for glasses, corresponding to the infusion bags of the type mentioned at the outset, is already known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,192,605 in which at least one of the side pieces of a plastically deformable strip covers the bag over its entire length. This or both side pieces can be raised and, at their free end, shaped into a hook which can be hung over the rim of the glass. However, only definite relatively expensive materials such as metal foils and synthetic materials may be used and their use in pots is not really feasible.

The invention will be explained in detail hereinafter with reference to two forms of embodiment of infusion bag according to the invention which are illustrated in the attached drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a first embodiment viewed from two different directions;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first form of embodiment in a pot during infusion;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of a second form of embodiment, from two different directions;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the second embodiment in a pot during infusion, and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second embodiment in a glass during infusion.

Since the two forms of embodiment differ only in the construction of the strip, but not in the actual bag, this latter will be described first. It is a double chamber bag made from a fleece-like paper resembling filter paper which is permeable to liquids yet will not dissolve therein, which is formed into a tube, whereupon its ends are laid together and sealed by joint folding of the edges forming the two bag openings, so forming the bag head.

The first form of embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3 is intended for pots. An elongated rectangular strip 420 is so folded along a fold line 422 that two unequally long side pieces 424 and 425 are formed, of which the shorter side piece 425 defines the length of the handle 431 and is at its free end attached by an attachment clip 432 on the head 430 of a bag 428 disposed between the two side pieces and covered on one side by the longer side piece 424. Since the bag 428 is only protected on one side, the first form of embodiment is suitable only for relatively large packaging units which have their own packing. The longer side piece 424 has, extending from the fold line 422 to a point close to the transverse edge 434 of the side piece and parallel to the right-hand longitudinal edge 464 thereof, being disposed closely alongside this latter, a first prestamped tear line 478 and, between the free end of the side piece 424 and the clip 432 and alongside this, extending parallel with the transverse edge 434 from the left-hand longitudinal edge 438 of the side piece 424 as far as the first scribed line 478, a second prestamped scribed line 480. Furthermore, the side piece 424 has three straight cuts in it in the form of an I, 482, two of the cuts extending parallel with the transverse edge 434 while one extends parallel with the longitudinal edges 438 and 464. The two scribed lines 478 and 480 form a hanger 484 which, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1, can be folded away, being then only connected to the shorter side piece 425 through a narrow web 486 bounded by the first scribed line 478 and the right-hand longitudinal edge 464. If it is intended to be infused in a pot 474, the separations provided are effected along the two scribed lines 478 and 480 and the hanger 484 which is thus formed is slipped over the pourer spout 476 of the pot, the spout passing through-the aperture created by the cut 482. As FIG. 3 shows, after infusion, the bag 428 can be withdrawn from the pot 474 by means of the hanger 484 which is detached from the pourer spout 476. v

The second :form of embodiment as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is a further development of the first embodiment, to provide a universal bag. Here, the second scribed line 580 does not reach as far as the left-hand longitudinal edge 538 of the side piece 534, but only as far as a third scribed line 588 which extends parallel with the left-hand longitudinal edge 538 and at a small distance therefrom, the third scribed line 588 commencing at the fold line of the strip 520 and being of the same length as the first scribed line 578. Therefore, the hanger 584 is connected not only by the web 586 known already from the first form of embodiment but also by a second web 590 to the other side piece 526 of the strip 520 which is constructed as the same, length as the side piece 524, so that, prior to use, the bag 528 is covered on both sides. Between the clips 532 which connects the side pieces 524 and 526 to the bag head 530 and the distance from which to the fold line 522 of the strip 520 forms a projecting portion and therefore a handle 53], and the transverse edge 536 of the side piece 526, there extends parallel with this latter alongside the clip 532 between the longitudinal edges 540 and 566 of the side piece 526 a fourth scribed line 592 along which the projecting free portion of the side piece 526 can be separated if the bag 528 is to be brewed in a pot 574, as is indicated in FIG. 6. Thanks to the cut 568, the hanger 584 can be attached on the pourer spout 576 of the pot once it has been separated out from the side piece 524, as is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 4. So that the bag 528 can also be brewed in a glass 552, a first cut 594 extending obliquely to the fold line 522 of the strip 520 extends from this line in both side pieces 524 and 526 and furthermore, there is in the side piece 526, extending in the longitudinal direction between the clip 532 and its free end a second cut 596 through which it is possible to push the corner 598 of the strip 520, formed by the first cut 594, as shown in FIG. 7, when the side piece 526 is raised. If the bag 528 is being brewed in a glass or a cup, naturally the hanger 584 ought not to be detached from the side piece 524. After infusion, the bag 528 can then be squeezed out between the side pieces 524 and 526.

On both forms of embodiment, the strips are expediently made in one piece from water repellant material, for example, from impregnated paper or from paper lined at least on one side with a synthetic plastic film. Particularly in the last-mentioned case, the strip can be welded on the bag head so that a fixing clip becomes unnecessary, In the case of the first embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3, which is intended exclusively for use with a pot, the strip can also consist of filter paper which is permeable to liquids yet will not dissolve therein, the character of which is adapted to the material of the bag.

At all places which are subjected to severe flexion, the fold lines to facilitate folding can be provided unless a prestamped scribed line is already provided.

It is claimed: a

1. An infusion bag containing an infusible substance comprising a porous-walled container for the infusible substance, said container including an elongated head portion and at least two sides, a strip of non-porous sheet material secured to said head portion and folded about said container along a line extending substantially parallel to said head portion, said strip including side portions having lateral edges and extending from said fold line on opposite sides of said container, at least one of said side portions extending over substantially the entire length of said container adjacent the respective side thereof, said at least one side portion including a first prestamped scribe line extending parallel to said fold line, at least one additional prestamped scribe line extending from said fold line adjacent and parallel to one of said lateral edges and running over a predominant portion of said at least one side portion, said at least one additional scribe line intersecting'said first scribe line and defining therewith, when said sheet material is cut along said scribe lines, a hanger having means adapted to be connected to a pour spout of a pot, said hanger remaining connected to said head after cutting of said lines by means of at least one narrow web defined in said at least one side portion between said at least one additional scribe line and the respective adjacent lateral edge of said at least one side portion.

2. An infusion bag with at least one chamber containing an infusible substance, said bag comprising a head portion having a single fold at the edge forming the bag opening, said head portion being reinforced by means of a flexible strip attached at a point to and encompassing the entire width of said head portion, said flexible strip being folded about both sides of said bag along a fold line and having at least one'side piece which extends over the entire length of said bag and terminates in a free end, said at least one side piece having lateral edges and a transverse edge at said free end, one of said at least one side pieces having at least one prestamped scribe line running parallel to at least one of said lateral edges and extending substantially from said fold line over a predominant portion of said at least one side piece to a point spaced from said transverse edge, another prestamped scribe line extending perpendicular to and terminating at said at least one prestamped scribe line and extending along a substantial portion of said head portion, said scribe lines defining, when said strip is cut therealong, a hanger adapted to be spatially separated from said strip while remaining connected thereto by means of at least one narrow web defined between said at least one scribe line and its respective lateral edge and of a length corresponding to the length of said at least one side portion, and wherein said hanger includes at least one cut defining an aperture which facilitates connection of said hanger to a pour spout of a pot.

3. lnfusion bag according to claim 2, characterized in that the strip is made from an elastically pliable material.

4. lnfusion bag according to claim 2, characterized in that said flexible strip is attached at mutually opposite locations to the bag head by means of a single nonrusting fixing clip.

5. Infusion bag according to claim 2, characterized in that the strip is welded on the bag head.

6. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said another scribe line is located between said transverse edge of said at least one side piece and its point of at tachment to said head portion of said bag.

7. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one cut comprises three notches in the shape of an I extending parallel to the lateral edges and transverse edge, respectively, of said side piece.

8. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said fold line is spaced from said single fold of said head portion, thereby defining a projecting piece which can be used as a handle for said bag.

9. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one side piece has two scribe lines running parallel to the respective lateral edges thereof and said another scribe line intersects both of said two scribe lines, whereby tearing of said scribe lines will define two narrow webs.

10. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one side piece has only one scribe line running parallel to a respective lateral edge, and said another scribe line extends from said one scribe line to the opposite lateral edge of said side piece, whereby tearing of said scribe lines will define one narrow web.

11. Infusion bag according to claim 2, characterized in that the strip is made in one piece from water repellant material.

12. Infusion bag according to claim 11, characterized in that impregnated paper is provided as the strip material.

13. Infusion bag according to claim 1 1, characterized in that paper lined at least on one side with a synthetic plastic film is provided as the strip material.

14. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one side piece comprises two side pieces extending on opposite sides of said bag, and wherein one of said side pieces has a prestamped scribe line extending completely from one lateral edge to the other located between its point of attachment to said head portion and its respective transverse edge, whereby tearing of said completely extending scribe line will permit removal of a substantial portion of said one side piece prior to insertion of said bag in a pot.

15. An infusion bag as defined in claim 14, wherein said one of said side pieces has a folding line extending parallel to its respective transverse edge and upon which said one of said side pieces can be folded back over the respective portion thereof which is attached to the head portion of said bag, and means for securing said one of said side pieces to the other of said side pieces when folded back along said folding line.

16. An infusion bag as defined in claim 15, wherein said means for securing includes a first cut extending obliquely from said fold line of said strip through both side pieces thereof which defines a corner when bent out of the plane of said strip, and a second cut extending longitudinally through said one of said side pieces, whereby folding of said one of said side pieces back along said folding line will enable said corner to be inserted through said second cut. 

1. AN INFUSION BAG CONTAINING AN INFUSIBLE SUBSTANCE COMPRISING A POROUS-WALLED CONTAINER FOR THE INFUSIBLE SUBSTANCE, SAID CONTAINER INCLUDING AN ELONGATED HEAD PORTION AND AT LEAST TWO SIDES, A STRIP OF NON-POROUS SHEET MATERIAL SECURED TO SAID HEAD PORTION AND FOLDED ABOUT SAID CONTAINER ALONE A LINE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID HEAD PORTION, SAID STRIP INCLUDING SIDE PORTIONS HAVING LATERAL EDGES AND EXTENDING FROM SAID FOLD LINE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CONTAINER, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SIDE PORTIONS EXTENDING OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGHT OF SAID CONTAINER ADJACENT THE RESPECTIVE SIDE THEREOF, SAID AT LEAST ONE SIDE PORTION INCLUDING A FIRST PRESTAMPED SCRIBE LINE EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID FOLD LINE, AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL PRESTAMPED SCRIBE LINE EXTENDING FROM SAID FOLD LINE ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO ONE OF SAID LATERAL EDGES AND RUNNING OVER A PREDOMINANT PORTION OF SAID AT LEAST ONE SIDE PORTION, SAID AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL SCRIBE LINE INTERSECTING SAID FIRST SCRIBE LINE AND DEFINING THEREWITH, WHEN SAID SHEET MATERIAL IS CUT ALONG SIDE SCRIBE LINES, A HANGER HAVING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A POUR SPOUT OF A POT, SAID HANGER REMAINING CONNECTED TO SAID HEAD AFTER CUTTING OF SAID LINES BY MEANS OF AT LEAST ONE NARROW WEB DEFINED IN SAID AT LEAST ONE SIDE PORTION BETWEEN SAID AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL SCRIBE LINE AND THE RESPECTIVE ADJACENT LATERNAL EDGE OF SAID AT LEAST ONE SIDE PORTION.
 2. An infusion bag with at least one chamber containing an infusible substance, said bag comprising a head portion having a single fold at the edge forming the bag opening, said head portion being reinforced by means of a flexible strip attached at a point to and encompassing the entire width of said head portion, said flexible strip being folded about both sides of said bag along a fold line and having at least one side piece which extends over the entire length of said bag and terminates in a free end, said at least one side piece having lateral edges and a transverse edge at said free end, one of said at least one side pieces having at least one prestamped scribe line running parallel to at least one of said lateral edges and extending substantially from said fold line over a predominant portion of said at least one side piece to a point spaced from said transverse edge, another prestamped scribe line extending perpendicular to and terminating at said at least one prestamped scribe line and extending along a substantial portion of said head portion, said scribe lines defining, when said strip is cut therealong, a hanger adapted to be spatially separated from said strip while remaining connected thereto by means of at least one narrow web defined between said at least one scribe line and its respective lateral edge and of a length corresponding to the length of said at least one side portion, and wherein said hanger includes at least one cut defining an aperture which facilitates connection of said hanger to a pour spout of a pot.
 3. Infusion bag according to claim 2, characterized in that the strip is made from an elastically pliable material.
 4. Infusion bag according to claim 2, characterized in that said flexible strip is attached at mutually opposite locations to the bag head by means of a single non-rusting fixing clip.
 5. Infusion bag according to claim 2, characterized in that the strip is welded on the bag head.
 6. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said another scribe line is located between said transverse edge of said at least one side piece and its point of attachment to said head portion of said bag.
 7. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one cut comprises three notches in the shape of an I extending parallel to the lateral edges and transverse edge, respectively, of said side piece.
 8. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said fold line is spaced from said single fold of said head portion, thereby defining a projecting piece which can be used as a handle for said bag.
 9. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one side piece has two scribe lines running parallel to the respective lateral edges thereof and said another scribe line intersects both of said two scribe lines, whereby tearing of said scribe lines will define two narrow webs.
 10. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one side piece has only one scribe line running parallel to a respective lateral edge, and said another scribe line extends from said one scribe line to the opposite lateral edge of said side piece, whereby tearing of said scribe lines will define one narrow web.
 11. Infusion bag according to claim 2, characterized in that the strip is made in one piece from water repellant material.
 12. Infusion bag according to claim 11, characterized in that impregnated paper is provided as the strip material.
 13. Infusion bag according to claim 11, characterized in that paper lined at least on one side with a synthetic plastic film is provided as the strip material.
 14. An infusion bag as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one side piece comprises two side pieces extending on opposite sides of said bag, and wherein one of said side pieces has a prestamped scribe line extending completely from one lateral edge to the other located between its point of attachment to said head portion and its respective transverse edge, whereby tearing of said completely extending scribe line will permit removal of a substantial portion of said one side piece prior to insertion of said bag in a pot.
 15. An infusion bag as defined in claim 14, wherein said one of said side pieces has a folding line extending parallel to its respective transverse edge and upon which said one of said side pieces can be folded back over the respective portion thereof which is attached to the head portion of said bag, and means for securing said one of said side pieces to the other of said side pieces when folded back along said folding line.
 16. An infusion bag as defined in claim 15, wherein said means for securing includes a first cut extending obliquely from said fold line of said strip through both side pieces thereof which defines a corner when bent out of the plane of said strip, and a second cut extending longitudinally through said one of said side pieces, whereby folding of said one of said side pieces back along said folding line will enable said corner to be inserted through said second cut. 